-

Across Europe demographic trends, reinforced by policies aimed at delaying retirement (including raising the state pension age), are leading to an increase in the age of the workforce. People are wanting to, or having to, work for longer than ever before. This is a cause for concern for both employers and older workers if skills, and therefore productivity and employability, deteriorate with age.The goal of the Silver Age, Silver SAge Initiative (SASSI for short) was to give people the opportunity to maintain a productive working life by focusing on the updating and upskilling of this ageing workforce.To do this, it focused on trainers and HR managers, aiming to provide them with a better understanding of how older people learn and a range of practical skills, tools and techniques to help them support older learners and workers more effectively, and in a more age-sensitive manner.The target groups for this project were therefore:•Trainers: VET tutors and CPD professionals•HR Managers and Line Managers with people management responsibilitiesThe ‘end-user’ beneficiaries were older workers and learners aged 50+The SASSI project consortium was chosen to provide a diverse range of expertise from like-minded professional organisations. Each partner was chosen for their specialist areas of expertise, understanding of education and training, and also for their access to VET trainers and employers.The consortium consisted of six partners from the UK (Apricot Training Management); Germany (BUPNET and BLINC); Austria (die Berater); Slovakia (CVNO); Portugal (Inovamais); Netherlands (ROC Drenthe College)Our main activities:The project started with a detailed Needs Analysis to gain a clear picture of the implications of the ageing workforce in each country and the needs of the main stakeholders. 6 National Needs Analysis reports were produced and findings amalgamated in a Comparative Needs Analysis Report.Throughout the project, the SASSI HUB and Community Platform was developed to give access to:•the wide range of training resources, guides, case studies, research materials, e-portfolio facilities produced including the SASSI Toolbox•an innovative competence framework for those involved supporting older workers and learners in CPD, new skills development and on-going learning•A modular trainer training programme, based on the SASSI Methodology and validation tool for validating current or newly gained competences•a community of interest; a place where stakeholders can ‘meet’ and share ideas.The core of the project was the SASSI METHODOLOGY with its Learning Modules and Validation System. ‘The SASSI Methodology and Trainers Guide’ sets out the SASSI concept and its theoretical background along with the processes, trainer competences and learning solutions realised to take into account the needs and concerns of senior learners.The resulting Trainer Training Blended Learning programme is made up of four modules including webinars, seminars, self-study workbooks, a Learning Project, and competence assessment via the customised LEVEL5 platform for the validation of non-formal learning. The modules are:•The Ageing Workforce and How Older People Learn•Applying Age-sensitive CPD in practice•Putting our understanding into practice (Learning Projects)•Validation The first drafts of the methodology, training modules and validation system were tested and evaluated in a well-structured piloting phase that included a (C1) 5-day training course and Learning Projects.At the end of this process, the SASSI TOOLBOX was populated with the finalised training materials, resources and Guides and made available to the registered users of the SASSI HUB.The SASSI BADGE (digital) and the SASSI CERTIFICATE were developed as awards of recognition for trainers and HR Managers who demonstrate age-sensitive approaches to the training and have completed the trainer training.Similarly, the SASSI LABEL was designed and promoted, recognising and rewarding organisations that with age-sensitive approaches to Workforce Development.Organisations demonstrating innovative age-sensitive workforce development strategies were also encouraged to apply for the SASSI AWARD. The Awards were presented to 3 best practice organisations at the Final Conference in May 2017. The organisations were from Portugal, Slovakia and the Netherlands.Short-term impact on the partners' organisations and staff, trainers and employers has been profound. Evaluation has identified changes in practice amongst participating trainers & HR Managers. Amongst those involved in the pilots, we have also seen long term impact in plans to implement new, more age-sensitive HR and CPD policy and practices to support the older workforce.All partners will sustain the outputs of our innovation, embedding our learning within current practice and continuing to exploit the results with and through employers and VET organisations, and in other projects.

"<< Background >>The project: ""Cooperative Partnerships for Capacity Building in VET"" meets the ongoing challenges of “making VET a first choice”. The overall agenda of the project is to improve the quality of VET by supporting the professional development and empowerment of teachers and school leaders in VET.According to the EU New Skills Agenda (2016) and the Cedefop briefing note (2018) new skills are required to meet the challenges of a fast-changing context and the complex challenges presented by an increasingly diverse student body. This challenges leaders and teachers in VET to meet the needs of diverse learners in complex settings, interacting in unpredictable ways with an uncertain curriculum. We argue that Capacity Building is positioned as a response to the developmental needs of public organizations –including the vocational and educational sector (Krogstrup, 2017). Capacity Building as an organizational resource for school development is defined as educational change that aims to enhance student learning outcome as well as strengthening the schools’ capacity for managing change.There is a need to know more about how this is done in VET. Stringer (2013) points that “scaffolding professional learning” is a crucial contribution to organizational capacity building. The starting point of the project is the empirical results of the former Erasmus+ Ka2 project:” Leadership for learning in VET” these findings match the core idea of professional learning as a key approach in building capacity in schools. (Timperley & Le Fevre 2020)The project ""Cooperative Partnerships for Capacity Building in VET"" is concerned about the professional development of leaders and teachers to initiate and engage in events of professional learning. The project addresses the need of developing leaders and teachers' professional competences of handling the double-demand of being both immediately practical and developing underlying principles and methods solving new problems – while focusing on students learning.The project is cooperated by eight partners. Seven VET providing schools and one university, representing five different EU- countries:• Roskilde Tekniske Skole, DK• Randers Social- og sundhedsskole.DK.• ROC Drenthe College, NL.• COMETA FORMAZIONE SOCIETA COOPERATIVA SOCIALE, IT.• STICHTING REGIONAAL OPLEIDINGENCENTRUM ZUID-HOLLAND ZUID/ Davinci College, NL.• Kozep-Europai Menedzsment Standard Szervezetfejlesztesi és Oktatas Modszertani Kutato Kozpont Nonprofit Kft, HU.• Fjölbrautaskólinn í Breiðholti.IS• Aalborg University (Faculty of culture and learning)<< Objectives >>The overall agenda of the project Cooperative Partnerships for Capacity Building in VET’ is to improve the quality of VET by supporting the professional development and empowerment of teachers and school leaders. Following a review of the European Reference Framework of Key Competences, the European Council state that in a rapidly changing and highly interconnected world we need a wide range of skills and competences and the capacity to evaluate and develop our skills continually. We argue that these key competences are best developed in educational settings, which promote professional learning environments for the professional development of both teachers as well as leaders. The overall aim of the project is to build capacity in VET. Empowering teachers and leaders in VET to work within the DNA of leadership for learning carrying out events of professional learning<< Implementation >>The design of the project contains three tracks of activities. The main activities and deliveries in the project are:Activity 1 (A1): Develop, Describe and evaluate a training program: ""Leaders for professional learning in VET"". Result: A full manual on how to carry out a training programActivity 2 (A2): The execution of a pilot training program containing:- A21: Two transnational seminars, a webinar and a final meeting- A22: Local action learning processes. Result: A local organizational guide on how to lead and initiate professional learning in the local context- A23 Transnational school visits / transnational peer-counselingActivity 3 (A3): Research. Result: Peer reviewed article pointing out the generative mechanisms that can lead to the building of leadership capacity in VET institutions.<< Results >>The programme theory of the project explains how the project activities and deliveries is understood to contribute to a chain of results that produce the impact of the project. The expected impact of the project is to: Empower teachers and leaders to work within the DNA of leadership for learning engaging in the process of professional learning.The results of the project with the implementation of listed activities are as follows: - Build the task force members individual capacity to work within international development in a project-organized way. - Increase the participants theoretical and methodically knowledge about Professional learning and Capacity Building in VET. - Train trainers in initiating local processes of professional learning. - Build the local players individual and organizational ability-skills, knowledge and motivation to engage in professional learning events and collaborate on enhancing the students learning. - Build the participants ability to learn from transnational peer-counselling. - Research based knowledge of the generative mechanisms that - based on the project’s empirical knowledge - can lead to the building of leadership capacity in VET institutions."

“DEAL – Dementia, Education, Approach, Life” was a 2-year ERASMUS+ project, which aimed 1) to improve the competences of teachers and caregivers with regard to dementia, 2) to extend the cooperation between educational institutions and caregiving organizations 3) to elevate the status of dementia caregiving and 4) to give recommendations to decision makers in the field of education. The project started in November 2018 and ended in December 2020. The number of people suffering from dementia is growing in the whole world. It will continue to grow and consequently, the socio-economic burden will increase. Due to their prevalence, cost and profound impact on society, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia therefore are public health priorities in EU Member States. As most European countries are recognizing the challenge they are facing, they have launched national dementia plans with many initiatives to be carried out. In the more wealthy countries, new technology is developed and implemented in the field. However, there seems to be a missing link between on one side: all the research done, all the existing knowledge, the awareness, the enormous amount of money spent – and on the other side: the priority this topic is given in the education of the basic care staff in the care educations in Europe.The DEAL project was carried out internationally to exchange experiences and best practices among very different ways of caring for people with dementia in different countries – including differences in the approach to the person in need of care. It was successfully implemented by eight partners from Denmark, Greece, Italy, Netherlands and Spain. The project partners worked in double partnerships in each country: One partner representing working life and the other partner representing care educations.DEAL project was targeting: •Trainers and teachers in care educations•Students at care educations•Care staff - first and foremost professional caregivers, but also informal caregivers can benefit•Decision makers in the field of educationHowever, relatives of people with dementia will also benefit from the project results and the final beneficent is the person suffering from dementia.The objectives of the project were to:•improve the competences of teachers and trainers who educate and train caregivers about dementia•extend and qualify the cooperation between educational institutions and caregiver organizations•elevate the status of care for people with dementia as it is a low-status area in the field of care•give suggestions and recommendation to the decision makers in the field of basic health care educationDuring the project’s lifetime, the following main outputs were produced:•Online training program for caregivers of people with dementia: The training program provides specialized knowledge on dementia and methods for supporting and caring for people with dementia. The training program consists of 8 modules and a Teacher’s Guide in English, Italian, Dutch, Greek, Danish and Spanish. Besides it contains four modules that were developed for the specific national context in Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy. These modules are to be found in the national languages only.•Video for caregivers of people with dementia: The project partners created a video promoting the care work for people with dementia. This video aims at elevating not only the status of the care for people with dementia, but also the status of basic care and basic care education in general. The video shows that it is meaningful and rewarding to work with people with dementia in spite of all the difficulties. •A policy paper for decision makers. The policy paper is targeting relevant stakeholders in the field of education. It consists of a general part containing the results of the DEAL project and sections containing the national recommendations. The DEAL training program was tested by about 150 persons in Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy and Greece: professional caregivers, family members/friends of people with dementia and students at medical schools and health care colleges. As the DEAL material is already being used by the involved organisation, the impact is increased competences among teachers and caregivers in the field. The video promoting dementia care will be disseminated and used by health care educational institutions to attract students and staff to dementia care, it will elevate the status of the care and also give a better understanding of what dementia is.Another important impact is that the cooperation between care institutions and educational institutions has been strengthened, which has led to a greater understanding and the creation of more practice-adapted education.All partners carried out many dissemination activities including Multiplier events (face-to-face or online) in Denmark, Italy, The Netherlands and Greece.

<< Background >>Hydrogen technologies have recently become a global phenomenon, with integrated, complex projects emerging across the world in a drive to accelerate the development of the hydrogen-driven economy.For the future market it is necessary to prepare a group of professionals in hydrogen field. Us as a vocational school are reacting on this fact and that’s why we are extremely interested to prepare new curricula, educational materials and educators. Partners involved are providing VET education and closely cooperate with companies, as both are watching labour market and future needs as possibility of a new employment, new competencies. Further motivation for the project comes from the need to comply with the European directive 2010/75/EC on industrial emissions, so-called Integrated pollution prevention and control.This directive includes numbers of activities which are meant to reduce environmental pollution. Technologies concerning energetic sector, which deal with the issue of pollution reduction together with energy savings, will play a significant role in the project. It is also necessary to create teaching documents (evaluation and qualification standards, educational materials, etc.) that will provide guidance for the education of workers who are engaged in this field.<< Objectives >>The main objective is to provide good quality educational materials which will be also pilot verified within EU. Besides this there will be expert educators who will implement the knowledge further. We must understand the development of hydrogen technologies is global and varies from country to country. It is necessary to compare and unify the preconditions for the preparation of workers in this segment of modern technologies.To achieve that in the area of free movement of goods, services and labour on the European market, the quality must be comparable within the whole EU. It is therefore necessary to align education programs in individual EU countries. Moreover, high quality of life nowadays causes the increased use of electrical appliances and high consumption of electricity. Basic standards of preparation for a career in the production and distribution of electricity have already been set and renovation in this part of a labour market have already brought some new elements of quality and results related to the environmental protection. It is now necessary to focus primarily on newly emerging areas such as hydrogen technologies.The specific objective of the project is to achieve comparability and mobility of labour force in hydrogen technologies captured in education modules.<< Implementation >>The project is drawn up as a whole, consisting following activities. Four outputs will be created in the project, which include the processing of analyses, curricula, educational materials and the open course.During the project, two meetings will be organized for professional teachers (Learning, Teaching, and Training Activities). The first will take place in December 2021 in Prague - “Research and implementation of hydrogen technologies in the Czech Republic” and the second in October 2022 in Slovakia - “Research and implementation of hydrogen technologies in Slovakia”.From April to May 2023, Multiplier Events will take place at all project partners. Here will be presented created educational materials of the professional public, which will not only serve to disseminate the outputs, but will also provide feedback on the processed educational materials.In the first half of 2023, a pilot verification of the created materials will take place, also including eLearning at all involved VET schools. There will be four successful graduates of the courses selected, who accompanied by professional teachers, will participate in the final international meeting in Weimar, Germany in May 2024.The professional meetings will mainly include excursions and workshops in research centres and employers and employers in the field of hydrogen technologies.The established cooperation will provide the basis for long-term cooperation between VET schools, associated partners and companies. The implementation of the project is set on the basis of knowledge management not only in hydrogen technologies, but also in management processes, risk management etc.<< Results >>With this project will be created long-term sustainable concept of cooperation between secondary vocational schools, research centres and companies, where will be used the knowledge management for the education of future technical professions related to introduction and implementation of hydrogen technologies. Individual countries are in different stages of application of hydrogen technologies. Through the cooperation of involved professional cooperating network the project results will be:Open course for future educators of technical professions related to hydrogen technologies.Educational materials divided into 5 separate modules reflecting the needs of the labour market. For these modules will be created curricula, qualification and assessment standards, so that the information will be useful both for educators and especially for future students and companies. All materials will be created in an international environment so they are transferable within EU.1.Hydrogen filling station2.Hydrogen car drive3. Hydrogen car device equipment4.Hydrogen storage and transport5.Hydrogen production and conservation of energy from renewable sources